Community pool saved for summer by local residents of Silver Lake
Pool in Silver Lake saved by residents
The city of Silver Lake, Minnesota took estimates to repair the pool between $100,000 and $180,000 – but the work would’ve kept the pool closed for the rest of the summer, and community members refused to stand by and let that happen.
SILVER LAKE, Minn. (FOX 9) - West of the metro, Silver Lake’s Maresh Aquatic Center means the world to kids who flock to it each summer in their search for an escape from the heat.
"It’s huge to our community. It’s one of the main places for the kids to hang out," Stephanie Speikers told FOX 9.
But after the state closed the pool down this month - citing safety issues - the community had to pull together for its community pool.
"I would never have imagined the amount of support that we got," Speikers added.
The problem was the pool’s surface, which was in rough shape and well past its 15-year life expectancy.
"We had pictures and it looks like someone took sandpaper and rubbed the bottom of feet," Silver Lake Public Works Superintendent and Fire Chief Dale Kosek said. "They were rough, some had little puncture holes."
The city took estimates to repair the pool between $100,000 and $180,000 – but the work would’ve kept the pool closed for the rest of the summer, and community members refused to stand by and let that happen.
Instead, about 30 volunteers scrubbed the pool surface themselves, using a drywall sanding block for hours on end. It’s only a temporary fix, meant to get them through the season.
"We rubbed and sanded every square inch of this pool to get it smooth," volunteer Brent Posusta said.
When their work was complete, they had a new problem: how to refill the pool with 150,000 gallons of water. Their small town of less than 1,000 people doesn’t have a water filtration plant, so it would’ve taken about two and a half weeks to get the pool refilled with water.
Not wanting to waste another day, instead Kosek picked up the phone and enlisted neighboring fire departments to help haul in dozens of truckloads of clean chlorinated water from Hutchinson.
"The overwhelming support was just so incredible to see," Speikers finished. "It fills my heart with joy, and I can’t wait to bring my kids here for swimming."